Only the Good Die Young
by Storm Etienne
Summary: She who had so little to offer, was wiling to offer it all. But what could the young girl contribute to the Avengers?
1. Chapter 1

I had been watching him carefully, down glass after glass, bottle after bottle, finally sitting there: completely wasted.

But God knew that it was not easy to be Tony Stark.

Finally I sighed, getting up from where I was sitting, walking to where he was. I gently pried empty bottle from his hand and tossed a bill on the counter. The only one I had. But I could always get more.

"Come on" I said gently, leading him out to his car. "Let's get you home".

I held out my hand and he reached into his pocket, placing his car keys in my hand. Not an incredibly smart move, considering that I looked to be only 12 years old; I cut him some slack: he was drunk.

Guiding him into the car, I drove down the busy streets of New York and pulled up at the famous "Avengers Tower". I took his hand and we slowly reached the entrance.

I was greeted at the door by Steve Rogers: the American hero, God's gift to mankind. _Don't get mad, stay calm._ I plopped Tony's keys in his hand. He looked at me in shock.

"Were you driving?" he asked. I considered lying to him, but I really hated lying.

"I'm older than I look". I left it at that and he asked me no more questions.

"Thank you ma'am for everything, we really appreciate it" he smiled at me. I saw that two more were joining him at the door. One with red hair, the other in a purple vest.

"Stay safe Tony" I said softly, Tony gave no sign of hearing me.

"Really", continued Steve, "is there any way we can thank you? It's late, you can stay here for the night". The girl with the red hair was indiscreetly kicking his shin, but he ignored her."Do you have a place to stay?"

I looked down, studying my shoes, "It's fine, really. I'm happy to help"

"But it wouldn't be too much work" he insisted. "You look like you could really use some rest"

Was it that obvious? I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten any sleep, the last time I had given in to the nightmares that followed me everywhere I went.

"I really shouldn't" I muttered but it was too late. His mention at my lack of sleep had completely destroyed my will to stay awake. My knees buckled and I fell forward. I was caught by strong arms at the last second and the world faded to black.

* * *

><p>When I came to my senses, I was lying on a bed in a large minimalistic styled room. I was wearing the same clothes as last night, but somebody had taken off my shoes. I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes. A voice spoke from the ceiling.<p>

"Miss, the Avengers are having breakfast right now. Down the hallway and to the left" The voice was male, and didn't have one of those funny American accents, it was British like mine. JARVIS he was called.

"Thank you Jarvis" I said, and made my way down the hall.

The whole gang was there, Tony Stark, Captain America, two assassins and the Hulk. Thor was missing, in Asgard I assumed.

"Come, sit" said Steve, breaking the awkward silence. Eying everyone at the table, I pulled out a chair and sat. A plate was placed in front of me, with practically every breakfast food imaginable. A glass of orange juice soon joined.

Everyone was watching me, I stared back them awkwardly. Only the red haired assassin, Natasha, understood. Reaching across the table she took a sip of my orange juice and took a sample from every type of food on the plate. I studied her, she seemed to be completely fine, she wasn't dying or anything. I deemed the food safe to consume.

I slowly ate and the others broke their stares.

Natasha tried to start a conversation "So Tes-" I cut her off.

"I don't use that name" I said coldly. "That was my birth name"

"What would you like us to call you?" spoke Bruce Banner. I thought for a moment.

"Some call me Mavis." He nodded and continued eating. No one spoke for a while.

"I have to ask" broke in Clint Barton, the second assassin. "I noticed you had a British accent. Were you born in England?" Tony interrupted him.

"I'm am so tired of saying, Robin Hood, just because a person is British doesn't mean that they know Harry Potter"

"But I thought everyone in England was best friends with Harry Potter!" Clint whined. "How am I supposed to get his Skype?"

"You're not supposed to; there's no such thing as Harry Potter!" Clint crossed his arms in a very childish manner.

"If you don't believe, you won't receive" he said. They continued to bicker like this and I zoned out. Finally a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"But you never answered the question, are you from England?" Steve Roger asked me. I looked him in the eye.

"I've never been to England in my life"

He frowned. "Are your parents British?' I looked down at my plate. Memories flooded my mind, my father looking at me, my mother by the door. The word that came from his mouth, that hurt me more than sticks and stones ever could. His gaze softened at this, he had seen my expression of pain.

"Do you have any parents?" he asked gently. I thought about this.

"Depends on you ask" I said finally said, answering his question without giving him an answer.

Tony spoke up. "Hey we all have daddy issues, it's okay". I nodded. I knew a lot about the relationship between Tony Stark and his father. I got up out of my seat.

"Thank you for your hospitality" I said in a monotonic voice. "I should get going, places to go, people to see". I put my dishes in the sink and turned to see Tony Stark, staring me with his big brown eyes.

"Please don't go" he said. He sounded sincere, and he didn't even make any sort of joke or sexual reference.

"I really shouldn't" I said offhandedly, ignoring the puppy dog eyes he was giving me. But of course, my life has the worst timing. Nicholas Fury burst through from the elevator.

"I see, you have met Mavis" he said, adjusting the black eye patch around his head. She will be temporarily joining you at the Avengers tower indefinitely." he gave me a look that said "I will always find you in the end, don't try to run away". I sighed.

"Who are you?" I asked politely, putting on the most innocent 12 year expression I had in my arsenal of weapons. He gave me a look.

"Director Fury of SHIELD" he said with authority.

"Well Mr. Furry" I said, eying Tony Stark who was unsuccessfully stuffing a fist in his mouth to keep himself from laughing. "I do not recall agreeing to stay here with SHIELD"

"That's because we never gave you the choice" He said and he walked out before I could reply.

"You sneaky little bastard".


	2. Chapter 2

"We should get you some clothes" Natasha said, eying the clothes I had been wearing for three days straight.

"I don't have-" she cut me off.

"Don't worry about the money, Stark has more than enough. We can go now, there's no time like the present". I nodded and followed her.

"What about me!" called Clint Barton running after us. Natasha raised an eyebrow at me, clearly letting me decide if I wanted to allow the over-enthusiastic archer to come.

"If Mr. Barton wants to come he can" I said stiffly. Clint frowned at me.

"It's just Clint". He broke into a grin. "Come on girls, let's go shopping!" he started skipping down the hallway into the elevator.

I turned to Natasha. "Is he always-"

"Yes, he is" she sighed. I had made a big mistake allowing him to tag along.

It was clear that Clint Barton was not happy with my sense of style. Going down the aisles, I pulled out random sweaters and jeans and gave them to Natasha.

"Shouldn't you try them on?" Clint asked.

"Don't want to." I said. He gave a look to Natasha who's expression was completely unfathomable.

After doing this for a while he finally asked me.

"Mavis, it's like 40 degrees and it's summer. Don't you want some t-shirts or shorts?" I studied his expression. Did he think I was going to die of heatstroke or something? Finally I smiled.

"Yes that's a good idea!" He smiled at this, looking relieved. "I might get cold if I don't have anything underneath my sweaters!" I picked out a few t-shirts and gave them to Natasha. I almost laughed at his exasperated expression. But I didn't. I pretended not to notice when he placed a few pairs of shorts in the stack of clothes in Natasha's arms. We brought back a lot of bags back to the tower.

When we got to the elevator I turned around and looked the two assassins straight in the eye.

"Ms. Romanov, Mr. Barton, thank you for accompanying me". I said this as honestly as possible. I sincerely appreciated them joining me, it almost made me feel like a normal 12 year old girl, shopping for clothes. Almost. But almost was the closest I had ever gotten.

"It's just Clint"

"It's just Natasha" she said at the same time. I shrugged.

Clint Barton was still convinced that I was going to evaporate underneath all my layers of clothing. I tried to explain to him, I didn't like the cold and I didn't get easily. He refused to hear ir.

He started by slowly adding pairs of shorts and t-shirts into my closet. I completely ignored this and continued wearing the jeans and sweaters that I felt comfortable in.

Getting frustrated, he started to take the jeans and sweaters that I had been wearing. This was crossing the line. So, as a silent protest, I wore the same sweater and jeans for three weeks. I made sure to hang around Tony, when he was in the workshop as much as possible, when I wasn't, I was with Clint, who was wincing because of the smell of Tony' sweat and car oil on me. Barton hated the smell of car oil.

Finally he cracked and came to my room with a stack of clothes in his arms.

"Truce"

I smiled at him brightly, before going to go take a shower.

"I like this one" I heard Natasha I say.

* * *

><p>I was very nervous, Nick Fury had called to say that he wanted an assessment on my skills before training me. The others had looked at me with pitying expressions, this was not encouraging.<p>

The morning before I had to leave, I was sitting at the kitchen table, halfheartedly eating a bowl of cereal.

"Nervous?" asked Bruce Banner, he was the only there, the others were sleeping: it was 3 in the morning

"A little" I admitted. I hesitated. "Dr. Banner?"

He looked up from the omelet that he was carefully eating. "You can call me Bruce"

"How did your skills assessment go?" He looked at me, with a thousand emotions on his face. He looked at his watch.

"We should get going, you don't want to be late." Not good I gathered.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Banner, thank you for walking to HQ" I said when we had arrived at our destination.<p>

"There's no need to thank me. Call be Bruce" He smiled at me.

"And Mavis", he said, before leaving. "I'm sure you'll do fine"

That makes one of us.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the building.

* * *

><p>If you were to ask me what had happened, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I only remember entering a dark room and exiting it. I was standing in a dimly lit hallway, looking for where I was supposed to go to get the results. There was one man, this immediately put me on alert; the hallways were always filled with people.<p>

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. After this I was beyond his eyes, in his mind. This was the reason SHIELD had kept tabs on me for so long. They knew I had this ability, they said it made me 'special'. The only thing they didn't know was how I had gotten it. This was the reason they kept hunting me down; no matter how much I ran, they would always find me.

The agent's thoughts weren't very clear, like a phone call with bad reception. I could only get one clear thought 'Hail Hydra'.

Staying calm, I kept walking down the hallway, until we were right beside each other. Springing into the action, I kicked him where the sun don't shine. One kick and he was down. I held his head forcefully in my hand before asking clearly.

"Your mission, what is it?"

He refused to talk, muttering nonsense about dragons and multiplying heads. His thoughts were unclear, like he was thinking of nonsense so I couldn't read him. But I could see what the plan was. They wanted to take out the leader, Fury.

Out of the blue, and agent came and shot a bullet in his head. A searing pain came across me, like I was being struck by lightning. I could see the man's mind shutting down. I groaned before passing out.

* * *

><p>When I awoke, there were a billion machines hooked up to me. Fury was at my side, talking to a doctor. He noticed that I was awake.<p>

"Sorry about that, we had to study how your power worked" my eyes widened. That was part of the test too?

"You son of bitch" he frowned at this muttering under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like "just like her brother".

Did I pass?" I asked. He nodded.

"There's just one problem" he said gravely. "Your powers aren't completely bonded with your DNA" he broke off into scientific gobbely gook. But I understood what he was saying.

My power would be the cause of my destruction, they were killing me every time I used them.


	3. Chapter 3

When I got back to the Avengers Tower, everyone was just outside the elevator on my floor, eagerly waiting for me.

"How did it go?" asked Clint Barton. I shrugged my shoulders and started walking to my bedroom. Everyone followed me. I sat on my bed and noticed that everyone was giving me a look.

"What?"

"What happened? Did you pass?" asked Natasha.

"Is this an interrogation?". Natasha gave me a glare and I sighed.

"Well, jolly old St. Nicholas said that I have a lot of potential, and that with the right training I could become a very good SHIELD agent, maybe even an Avenger. He said that Ms. Romanov will be teaching me skill, Mr. Barton will be giving me stamina and strength training and Mr. Rogers will be teaching me war history". Tony patted me on the back.

"Score! You get history lessons from our nation's greatest hero! Not many girls get to spend so much time with the almighty Capsicle!" I rolled my eyes. Steve blushed.

"I'm Canadian" I muttered. Everyone looked at me in shock.

"What!" exclaimed Tony. "I have so many questions to ask you!" I held up a hand, interrupting him.

"To answer all your questions, we do not ride on polar bears, we do not live in igloos, we do not walk around chugging bottles of maple syrup and it does not snow 24/7". Tony sighed, looking dejected.

"There goes all my dreams. My life was all a lie" he said dramatically. I rolled my eyes again.

"Americans" I muttered, entering the elevator. Everyone followed me.

"Well", continued Tony. "Either way, welcome to the Avengers!".

"Thanks" I said, pressing the button for the ground floor.

"Thanks she says" says Tony to the others. "Most people would be jumping with joy, 'My fangirl dreams have come true!'" I rolled my eyes.

"Guess I'm not like most people"

"Well that's all gonna change! We're gonna party all day! JARVIS can get some music rolling and I'll pick up a few bottles of-" Steve cut him off.

"Tony, Mavis is 8-"

"12" I supplied.

"Mavis is 12 years old, we are not going to allow her to drink!" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Water! I was going to say bottles of water" he said defensively.

"Sure Tony" We all exited the elevator.

"Well, you young lady are going to celebrate, you have just joined America's most awesome club of superheros!"

"America's only club of superheros" added Bruce Banner.

"You, are going to learn how to chill and relax!" continued Tony, as if he didn't hear Banner.

"Yes sir." I said. "Actually, I was hoping I could start my training if you guys don't object" I looked at Steve, Natasha and Clint.

"What?!" Tony looked at me like I had sprouted two more heads. "Cap, what have you done to her?! She has dedication and is hard working!"

"I don't mind starting the history lessons, I'll meet you in an hour in the conference room" Steve said, beaming at me. He walked away.

"You have a conference room?" I asked Tony, surprised.

"Pepper made me add to the designs" he muttered.

"Ah, that makes sense".

* * *

><p>"So what year did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?" Steve quizzed me.<p>

"1941, sir" Steve looked at me, with a small amount of confusion on his face. "Wrong year?" I asked, flipping through a book he had given me.

"No, no, it's the right year" he said trailing off.

"But.." I supplied.

"It's nothing" he said, shaking his head. "It's just that, these days, not many people refer to others as sir and ma'am. That was something they did in the 40's" He smiled at me. I smiled back at him.

"I'm not like a lot of people, even though I was born and a relatively modern society, I still picked up habits that are now considered old fashioned" I said sadly.

"Is that just something your parents did?" he asked. I hesitated.

"No, just a", I thought for a moment. "Just a friend". Steve gave me a sad look.

"If you wanted to, you could bring her to the tower" he offered, trying to be kind.

"No" I said softly. _Don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry in front of our nation's hero. _ "She's gone". Steve gave me a sad look.

"I'm so sorry for your loss" he said genuinely. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to talk about it. He hesitated before speaking.

"Were you always from Canada?" he asked me, tentatively.

"No I was born on Long Island, I later moved to Canada" I looked at him shocked. "How did you know?"

"It's just that, when you're writing, you use the American spellings". I looked down at my page of notes and saw that he was right.

"Brilliant observation, Mr. Rogers"

"Please, just call me Steve" He hesitated before speaking again. "Your friend, what was her name?"

I hesitated. _Should I tell him who she was? He deserves to know._

"Peggy. Peggy Carter"


	4. Chapter 4

I was chopping fruit, planning on making a fruit salad for the rest of the avengers. I was meticulously slicing a banana until the knife slipped and blood began to flow from the back of my hand.

"Shoot" I quickly dabbed my hand, making sure that no blood got into the food.

"Excuse me" a voice said. I jumped, than realized that it was JARVIS that had spoke.

"Yes, Mr. JARVIS? Is something wrong?" I started to panic.

"You see Ms. Mavis-" I interrupted him.

"It's just Mavis". There was a brief moment of silence.

"Of course. When the knife slipped and blood began to flow from your hand," I quickly realized what he was getting at.

"One second please" I quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door. _No cameras in here right?_ "Let me guess, you scanned the blood and searched through the database, trying to see if I would be a threat to your creator, Tony". Another moment of silence.

"Well, yes actually, you're absolutely correct. Your file is mostly hidden, and rest...The rest seems like that's all you wanted to be shown, like you chose what information was in the database. And it was heavily encrypted too. Encrypted just enough so that only Sir would be able to get past, and even then just barely."

"So all you want is for me to state my intentions, because you are unsure of them yourself?"

"Precisely Mavis" I smiled to myself. Many had asked JARVIS to refer to them as equals, but JARVIS's programming had forbidden him from doing so, he had to address them as Ms. or Mr.;I felt happy that I had a little more control over him.

"JARVIS, let me make myself clear. My top priority is to keep all the avengers safe. Their safety is of more concern then mine. However, I've lived a long life. I've made many enemies. By revealing exactly who I am, would be threatening the safety of the avengers, which in turn is threatening the safety of the whole world. I do not wish this. I have what I would consider good intentions.  
>You know who I am, please, for the good of the avengers, do not tell them what you know. We'll keep this between you and me, ya?"<p>

There was a brief moment of silence, JARVIS was running algorithms and formulas, trying to understand what I meant and whether I would threaten the safety of Tony Stark and the rest of the avengers.

"Yes Mavis, we shall keep this between us"

"I'm assuming that Tony is not a pervert and doesn't have cameras in the bathroom. However, clearly seeing as I am talking to you right now, there are microphones. Please mute the microphones for the period of time that we were talking. It is in the best interest of Tony that he doesn't know who I am, and that he doesn't know that you know who I am. Lie to him, hid the evidence, I don't care. The only way to best ensure his safety is that he doesn't know"

"Of course, Mavis"

"Thanks JARVIS"

* * *

><p>It was dark outside, maybe 3 in the morning. I was in the dining room sitting at the island facing the kitchen. I was sketching a blueprint for... well it doesn't matter really. Suddenly I heard footsteps. I looked up, snapped my notebook shut and froze. Standing at the doorway was Bruce, also frozen with shock that someone else was here at this hour. It was clear that none of us expected the other to be here; it was also clear that we wanted an explanation from the other without having to give one ourselves.<p>

"You ask me no questions and I'll ask you no questions" I said.

"Deal". He came and sat beside at the island. We sat in silence for a few minutes. "Have you heard of the theory of general relativity?" he asked me after a while. I nodded.

"Einstein's theory, that scientists believe might be the secret to unlocking time travel" he nodded.

"There's a little more to that though" he started to explain the speed of light and properties of time and I listened, interested in what he had to say.

This soon became a daily occurrence. We would sit at the island, neither asking the other what they were doing up so late. He would talk to me and explain quantum mechanics and kinetic theories while I would ask questions. It was clear that I was intelligent: after all, my IQ was the exact same as Tony Stark's. Bruce didn't know this; he didn't need to know the specifics.

However, I didn't know much about science; 12 years is not a lot of time to learn, especially when most of it was spent running away from top secret espionage organizations with control complexes. Either way, we became very close acquaintances, dare I say even friends.

Until, we weren't.

It was like a typical night in the Avengers tower, I was sitting at the island, waiting for Bruce Banner to finish his work, like I had every night for the past three weeks. He did not disappoint.

"Dr. Banner" I nodded to him as he entered the kitchen.

"Please, call me Bruce". We had greeted each other in the exact same way for three weeks. He had a look on his face though, I hadn't seen one like it. "Listen, I've been thinking," I held my hand in a gesture that encouraged him to continue, but I was afraid of what he was going to say.

"You're 12 years old, while I understand that you need less sleep than most children, you can't go forever without rest.

"And," he said, just as I opened my mouth. "And, I know for a fact that you haven't slept in over three weeks" I was starting to get angry. I thought we had made an agreement not to interfere with the other's personal lives?

"Please," I scoffed. "I took a huge nap yesterday" I lied. I really didn't like lying but I didn't want Bruce Banner constantly on my tail about the amount of sleep I was getting. Bruce raised an eyebrow at me.

"JARVIS", he called out to the ceiling. My eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do. "When's the last time Mavis got any sleep?"

_Please don't say anything JARVIS, please, please, please. _

_Did Tony install mind reading capabilities in JARVIS?_

"Mavis fell asleep for 5 hours, 3 weeks and 4 days ago, Dr. Banner" said JARVIS promptly.

Apparently not.

Bruce Banner looked at me in shock. Apparently he was expecting me to stay awake for less than that.

"It's really not a long time" I blustered. "Honestly, I'm fine" Bruce Banner growled at me. _Tread softly, Mavis_

"It's fine?!" he asked incredulously. "It's not fine! The average human being can go 2 weeks without sleep before dying! You need to get some rest!" Bruce Banner seemed angry and I made the huge mistake of pushing him further.

"It's doesn't really matter Dr. Banner" my eyes widened at what I had done. Dr. Banner started to swell, his skin turning green, his shirt shredding to pieces.

_Great job Mavis, make the Hulk mad._

Before the Hulk could hurt anyone, I looked him in the eyes. They were green, like emerald. I began to whisper in his mind.

_Calm, Banner. Think calm thoughts. _

I hummed a song that only he could hear and slowly, the Hulk began to revert to the form of Dr. Banner. He was shirtless, I took off my sweater and handed it to him. He put it on, looking at me with wide eyes.

_Great job Mavis, now he knows about your powers._

"You-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"Yes that was me, yes I can do it again. You will not ask me any questions, you will not tell anyone what happened. You still maintain as much control over the Hulk as possible, when the Hulk is unleashed, I can calm him down again. Capeesh?" he nodded slowly, still processing what had just happened.

"I'm going to go to sleep" and with that, I made my way to the elevator.


	5. Chapter 5

I folded the covers over me and lay in bed letting the sleep overcome me.

Worst mistake ever.

I saw my father, with a bottle in hand.

_"You think that you can make a difference in this world? You're nothing! A weak girl! A useless brat!" _

I lay in the corner in the room, making no attempt to to shield myself from the slashes he was making in my skin with the broken bottle neck.

_"I'm sorry" _I whispered.

_"Who cares if you're sorry? You're still eating food, using up resources that could've gone to someone that deserves it!"_

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry"._

Someone was screaming my name and I bolted into a sitting position.

_You're in the Avengers Tower. You're safe._

I became aware that there were tears streaming down my face and I swiped furiously at my eyes. Tony Stark was kneeling at the side of my bed with a concerned expression.

"What happened?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing" I said, taking deep breathes. "I'm fine Howard" Tony tensed up and I quickly realized my mistake.

_Tony, not Howard you idiot. You're speaking to Tony._

"How do you know Howard Stark" he asked slowly. "He was dead before you were born."

I sighed and gestured to the chair in the far corner of my room.

"You may want to sit down". He did just that.

I opened my mouth like I was about to explain, than I bolted out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

"Wait Mavis!" he called after me, but I was already entering the elevator.

Jabbing the button for the lobby, I began to twitch nervously as the elevator began to move.

"Quickly JARVIS, please"

JARVIS must have heard me because the elevator began moving at a speed that I'm pretty sure were against safety regulations.

Just as the elevator doors began to open, I slipped past them and bounded out of the building.

I began to race down the streets of Manhattan, passing Bert.

I should explain, Bert was a friend. Sort of.

I passed him everyday when I went on my morning walk. As in my walk, at 4 in the morning.

Everyday I bought him a blueberry muffin, a coffee and a newspaper from the cornerstone, because he was allergic to the cinnamon in their scones.

He lived on the corner, just a block down from the Avengers Tower. He was homeless.

Everyday, he said to me "Top of the morning!" in a bright tone, happy for someone without a home.

Everyday, I smiled and wished him well.

He must have seen the red haired assassin chasing me and clued in to what was going on, for as Natasha as passing him, he stuck out his foot and she fell in the most comical way. She gave him a glare and he smiled at her, unfazed.

"Top of the morning!" he said. I wanted to laugh, but I was to busy running from the rest of the Avengers.

I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the constricting feeling beginning to grow in my chest. I ran through the alleys, twisting and turning, using my knowledge of the streets of New York city.

Clint Barton had somehow gotten in front of me, standing in the narrow alley way, trying to prevent me from passing.

"Sorry Mr. Barton" I whispered as I kicked him in the groin without slowing down. He groaned and fell to his knees.

I rushed past him, ignoring the fact that it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe.

Steve Rogers waiting a little further down, arms outstretched like he was going to catch me. _Unlikely._

I feinted to the left, and then to the right, and after tried to slip past him on the left.

But he was too fast.

He caught me and tossed me over his shoulders. I began to struggle, pounding on his back, trying to get him to let me go.

"You don't understand!" I screamed. "I can't stay here! You have to let me go!"

Without any hesitation, Steve kept walking, ignoring the looks from the people around us. As it was becoming impossible to breathe, I stopped struggling and remained limp.

"Steve", I croaked, surprising him with the sudden use of his first name.

"Steve...asthma...need inhaler" he understood and began to rush towards the tower. I had no control over the tears that were pouring out of my eyes and beginning to soak his shirt.

* * *

><p>It turns out that Steve still had an inhaler from when he had asthma. My lungs began to clear and I lay on the couch in the living room, taking deep breathes.<p>

"You have asthma?" asked Clint.

"Yes she does" Natasha answered for me. "She has asthma and a pacemaker".

"But she still managed to outrun the avengers for ten blocks" said Tony coldly. I winced.

"Tony, we need to talk" I said.

"Yes, we do" he said with a bitter tone.

"In private please" I spoke pointedly at the other avengers. They all got the message and left the room.

"Tony", I whispered. "I need you to look me in the eye." He looked at me, his brown eyes meeting my blue ones.

"I'm sorry Tony, I promise that what I'm doing will only benefit you" he looked at me with a confused expression.

I looked into his eyes, gazing into his mind.

_You will forget I said anything about Howard. If the others ask what we talked about, you will say that it was private._

His eyes glazed over and his pupils dilated.

"I'm sorry Tony" I said softly, as his eyes began to focus.

_I'm sorry._


	6. Chapter 6

I saw him that night, Tony Stark, with a bottle in his hand.

"Eh honey, what's cooking?" he asked me. He was most definitely drunk. He grabbed another bottle and twisted the cap off. I saw quickly what was happening.

His vitals were slowing down, his eyes almost...dead. Alcohol poisoning.

"Mr. Stark, put down the bottle" I said firmly. He gave no indication of hearing me and raised the bottle to his lips. The bottle that would surely kill him.

_Not today. Not while I'm here._ Rushing over to him I grabbed the bottle out of his hands. Except he didn't let go.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his words slurred.

"Saving your life" I said quietly. He was stronger than me and slowly, the bottle was getting closer and closer to his mouth.

I thought about my options. I couldn't control his mind, he was too drunk for that. There was no way to pour out the bottle. If I managed to get him to drop it, which was unlikely, the glass shards could seriously hurt him. I took the safest option.

I placed the bottle on my lips and chugged.

Let me say, for the record: vodka tastes awful.

Imagine a flame. Imagine someone took that flame and bottled it. Then mixed it with Tabasco sauce. And diluted that in car oil. Then slapped a brand label on it and sold it. There's vodka for ya.

Tony looked at me helplessly as I completely drained the bottle of its contents.

"Hey" he said. Before he fainted. On top of me.

It's not easy to lift a fully grown man but luckily, Bruce Banner happened to walk in right then.

"Oh my gosh" he said and he carried Tony to the medical center.

* * *

><p>And somehow, at 2 in the morning, the news managed to reach each of the avengers in less than five minutes.<p>

_Thank you Jarvis._

"He'll be okay" said Dr. Banner. "If he had finished one more bottle, he would have died"._ Thanks for breaking it lightly. _

"I want to make sure that this doesn't happen again. I'm serious, he came this close to death today." He held his fingers up an inch apart.

"He should be thankful that Mavis was there in time" said Clint Barton. I don't think I have ever seen him without a smile on his face but right now his expression was very grim.

I shrugged my shoulders, I really shouldn't be getting any thanks here.

"You save his life" said Natasha, surprised at my lack of response.

"It should have never come to that" I said sadly.

"You're right" broke in Steve Rogers, leader face on. _Am I? _I wanted to yell.

_Steve Rogers, the greatest man ever seen; nobody should ever need anything more than him!_ I frowned inwardly. _Hey calm down. _The battle was roaring inside of me, ripping my mind to shreds.

"Get some sleep" Bruce said before exiting the room. _And on that happy note..._

* * *

><p>I retreated to the piano, the only place I could truly unwind. I watched my fingers dance among the keys. I heard footsteps behind me. I assumed it was Bruce, hopefully he would get the message and leave me alone.<p>

The piece was monotonic, expected of Bach. I felt that Bach helped me get my emotions under control.

_That's all girls ever do! Cry and get emotional! _This time my inner voice was my father. _Shut up Dad. _I finished playing and ended the piece on a major chord.

Minor piece, major ending. _Because life always has a happy ending right? _Sometimes I really want to slap Johann Sebastian Bach in the face. Other times I feel like shaking his hand and patting him on the back.

_God, my life is so messed up. And it's just getting started. _

"What piece is that" asked a voice from behind me. I jumped, grabbing the nearest object and holding it in front of me, threateningly. Unfortunately, that object happened to be a metronome. Turns out, it was Steve.

"Metronome?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. I slowly lowered my arm.

"They didn't have that in your day?" I asked him. I threw it at the wall, taking pleasure in the way he jumped in surprise. I stared at the broken pieces on the floor. "Never liked metronomes. They're bossy and I end up just tuning them out" I shrugged.

"What piece was that" he repeated, regaining his composure. I shrugged.

"Bach, Fugue in C minor, Well-Tempered Klavier, 1722, BWV 847" I said in an emotionless tone. _Thank you Bach, for helping me to hide my emotions under a blank slate. Lord knows how that'll come in handy in my life._

"I didn't know you played" he said, I tried my very hardest to resist the urge to roll my eyes. _Trying to start a conversation? _

"Now you do" I said shortly, closing the lid on the keys.

"I wanted to thank you personally, for saving Tony back there, we cannot work together without the whole team there". _So that's how he saw it. _

"No problem Mr. Rogers, though I would think it would simple enough to recruit another soldier for your 'team' here" I said coldly. He gave me a guilty look, which in turn made me feel guilty.

"Just Steve, I didn't mean it like that; I don't want him to die" he said quickly. Unfortunately, the thing about anger, the longer you bottle it up, the bigger it will come out.

"Of course you don't, Mr. Rogers." I said offhandedly, exiting the room.

"Just Steve, I honestly care about his well being!" he said and I turned around to face him.

"So that's just it? You want to make sure that your team can function, make sure every screw is finely tuned, every gear is smoothly turning. They mean nothing more to you?" he looked at me, flinching in pain at my words.

"I swear, I care about Tony-" I cut him off.

"Tony or the suit? I thought he was nothing? You know men that are worth ten of him, why not recruit them?" Steve looked I had just slapped him in the face.

"I didn't mean it" he said sadly.

"That's just it isn't it? You never mean it. If Tony really felt happy, he wouldn't be resorting to the bottle. If you were really his friend, you would know that he has nightmares every night. That every night, he dreams of his father telling him:'Steve Rogers would make a better son. Why can't you be like Captain America'. You would know that he likes his coffee black, with no sugar or cream. You would know that when he thinks the word father, he sees Edwin Jarvis. When he thinks the word mother, he sees Peggy Carter. You would know that every time he looks at you, he wants to hate you but he can't." I took a breath.  
>"Self destructive tendencies, Mr. Rogers. Natasha hit it right on the nail".<p>

"She's not dead" he said, just before I was out of earshot.

"Who?" I asked, standing still.

"Peggy's not dead". I froze.

_But I remember her body, lifeless and still. I remember at who's hand she died; for it was my own. She couldn't have survived._

I didn't respond, and made my way back to my room.

_What have I done?_


	7. Chapter 7

I was frantically searching, before finally accepting what my eyes saw. I closed the door, sliding on the floor and leaning against the refrigerator.

There was no more orange juice. Someone was going to pay.

I heard footsteps approaching me.

"Are you okay?" I looked up to see Tony Stark with a concerned look on his face.

"Welcome to the world of the living" I said, trying to steady my breathing. "I'm just gathering my energy".

He raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"I need to go to the corner store, to grab some orange juice."

He offered to go for me.

"No!" I said loudly. He jumped and I gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I don't trust you Americans with my food."

He gave me a hurt look and I rolled my eyes. Twisting sideways, I opened a random cupboard and pulled out a box. Microwaveable popcorn.

"Hmmm, let's see", I turned the box over, reading the ingredients. "Corn kernels (genetically modified no doubt), salt, artificial butter flavouring, yellow no. 2-" Tony cut me off.

"Alright, alright, what if I went but you came with me?" I pondered this.

"Sure"

* * *

><p>We went to the corner store and searched everywhere but there was no orange juice.<p>

"It appears the world hates me today" I said dejectedly. Tony walked past me to the cashier.

"Excuse me", he said in a mannerly fashion. "Do you carry orange juice?".

"Ah yes" the cashier said. She was a small timid lady and seemed to struggle explaining where it was. Finally I realised that English wasn't her first language; she kept slipping into French.

"C'est bien, je peut parler français aussi!" I quickly realized that Tony had the exact same thing at the exact same time.

"You speak French?" he asked me in English. I gave him a look.

"Canadian, remember? How did you become a francophone?"

"Howard". He didn't elaborate further and I didn't ask him to.

The cashier, seemed pleased that we knew French. She quickly explained that she had grown up in France and had only recently moved to America. She was very worried that she would lose her job and was trying her hardest to learn English.

"Just try and listen more than talk, try to use hand gestures as much as possible".

I wrote on a piece of paper some common phrases in English and French. "Google is a magical thing" I told her, after she had directed us to the orange juice.

"Ah! My saviour! Merci!" We all walked back to the cash register.

"You have a very beautiful daughter" the cashier told Tony. He started coughing violently and I patted his back.

"He's not my father" I kindly explained.

"Sorry, you look very similar!"

__What? __

"Daughter?" Clint started laughing.

"They do look somewhat similar" said Bruce thoughtfully. Tony had explained our adventure while I was slowly sipping a glass of well earned orange juice.

"Yes!", started Clint. "Take Tony, turn him into a teenaged girl, then lock him in a dark room for ten years so he loses the tan and his hair becomes darker!"

"Thanks" I muttered, frowning.

"I kinda see it, except for the eyes" Tony said. His eyes were brown, while mine were a bright blue.

"Mavis", Bruce asked. "You said you learned French in Canada but I thought you had never gone to school?"

"Hmm" I said swallowing a mouthful of juice. "My friend Harley taught me". Tony looked at me with wide eyes.

"Harley? Harley Keener?" I nodded.

I tried my best American accent. "My dad went to go buy scratch cards; guess he won because that was 6 months ago."

"It's a small world. I thought he lived in Tennessee?" Tony asked.

"He moved, obviously". Clint was staring at me with a hurt expression.

"Americans do not sound like that!" He said angrily.

"Actually, her accent was quite accurate" Bruce said.

At this moment Natasha and Steve walked in with a thin ginger between them. Natasha ran to us with a fierce expression on her face.

"Nat?" Clint started before Natasha had turned Tony around.

On his back, there was a black spider-like device. A bomb.


End file.
